In private speech, Blanche tried to mend fences with critical conservative activist

(CNN) — At President Donald Trump’s Miami hotel, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recently tried to smooth things over with a conservative watchdog group whose anger at the Trump administration was building on multiple fronts.

In the private speech delivered to Judicial Watch on April 20, Blanche attempted to showcase how the Justice Department is addressing allegations of voter fraud and weaponization in the federal government. The group’s new leader, Tom Fitton, has been critical of the Justice Department and FBI.

“While we may not always agree on every issue, let me say this clearly at the outset: Your mission is not in conflict with the Department of Justice I lead. It is a mission the Department of Justice must share,” Blanche said, according to his prepared remarks.

The speech, which was disclosed to Congress as part of Blanche’s required paperwork to be confirmed permanently in his role, illustrates how the nation’s top law enforcement officer sought to mend fences with a group that pushed 2020 election conspiracy theories and continues to argue the Trump administration is not going far enough.

“We hear you. We understand the concerns. And we are acting,” Blanche later added.

To show how frayed dynamics had become, Blanche read off a string of tweets by Fitton, in which he criticized the Justice Department for “hiding records on the Obama gang and deep state abuse” of Trump and for “protecting the Clintons.”

“The FBI and DOJ must be criminally investigated by someone other than the FBI and DOJ,” said another Fitton tweet read by Blanche.

“Tom, Tom, Tom, I thought we were boys!” Blanche said. “I like to think about our relationship as a family. Now, that family that works together and loves each other still gets into some spats on Thanksgiving after a few bottles of wine, but it does not take away from our love of one another or the common purpose that we share.”

Beyond complimenting Judicial Watch’s work to seek purges of voter rolls across the country, Blanche outlined the steps the Justice Department has taken to embody the spirit of the group – from appointing a national election integrity lead, to seizing ballots from the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County, Georgia, to their work before the Supreme Court.

“We are not simply monitoring, we are investigating,” Blanche said. “Illegal voting indictments have increased by 1600% in the first year of this administration compared to the prior year. That is not an accident. That is a change in posture.”

“In Fulton County, ballots from the 2020 general election have been secured and are the subject of ongoing litigation,” he added. “We are fighting in court to ensure those original ballots are preserved — not destroyed, not altered — because physical evidence matters.”

Blanche also addressed how his agency is seeking to address “political law fare” including dismissing certain criminal cases and establishing a weaponization working group, without getting into specifics.

On Wednesday, Fitton told CNN he believes — based on Blanche’s April speech — the Justice Department is attempting to be more transparent with the public.

“I think they need to be much more aggressive in dealing with the transparency issues. And my impression is that Blanche’s appearance at Judicial Watch is that they’re concerned about it and are trying to improve,” Fitton told CNN.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

Despite Blanche’s speech, the group continues to bring litigation against the administration.

Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department earlier this month seeking records relating to former special counsel Jack Smith.

“It’s always disappointing to have to pursue a FOIA lawsuit,” Fitton said, but added that it’s usually a part of the process.

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